Diapering of infants

ABSTRACT

A DIAPER COMPRISING A BASE PIECE, WHICH IS CONSTRUCTED BY CUTTING A NOTCH IN A RECTANGULAR PIECE OF DIAPER MATERIAL AND THEN SEALING ONE EDGE OF THE NOTCH TO THE OTHER TO FORM A SEAM, AND A FLAP PIECE SECURED TO THE BASE PIECE IN THE REGION OF THE SEAM, WHEREIN, WHEN THE DIAPER IS FOLDED ALONG ITS SOLE LINE OF SYMMETRY, THE FOLD COMPRISES TWO LINE SEGMENTS WHICH INTERSECT AN OBTUSE ANGLE.

p 20, 1971 c. H. SCHAAR 3,605,746

nmmame or mums Filed Dec. 10, 1969 FIG. 2 FIG. 6B

United States Patent "ice 3,605,746 DIAPERING 0F INFANTS Charles H. Schaar, Lake Zurich, Ill., assignor to The Kendall Company, Boston, Mass. Filed Dec. 10, 1969, Ser. No. 883,749 Int. Cl. A61f 13/16 US. Cl. 128-284 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A diaper comprising a base piece, which is constructed by cutting a notch in a rectangular piece of diaper material and then sealing one edge of the notch to the other to form a seam, and a flap piece secured to the base piece in the region of the seam; wherein, when the diaper is folded along its sole line of symmetry, the fold comprises two line segments which intersect in an obtuse angle.

This invention relates to diapers.

In the diaper industry, it is recognized that contoured diapers achieve both better fit and better appearance, but they often complicate the ease and economy of manufacture and efiiciency of diaper operation that is found in rectangular diapers.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a diaper having a contoured configuration and having excellent capacity to retain both liquid and solid waste material, 'which can be made without manufacturing or cost complications.

The invention features a diaper comprising a base piece and a flap piece, the base piece having a notch in one edge thereof, the edges of the notch being joined together to form a seam thereby producing a cone-like appearance of the base piece. The fiap is joined to the base piece in the region of the seam.

Other objects, features, and advantages will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment, taken together with the attached drawings thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematical perspective view illustrating a disposable diaper constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration showing how the diaper of FIG. 1 may be constructed from a single rectangular piece of customary disposable diaper material; and

FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6A, and 6B diagrammatically illustrate alternative configurations of a portion of a diaper according to the invention.

For illustrative purposes, the drawings and the following description are limited to disposable diapers which in clude a pad of absorbent material (such as wadding or absorbent fluff), a top-sheet of tissue paper or nonwoven fabric, and a plastic backing sheet. It will be apparent, however, that the invention described has application to diapers generally, including conventional fabric diapers.

The diaper of FIG. 1 comprises a base piece B and an overlapping flap piece F. The base piece B and the flap piece F may be joined together in the region of their overlap by any conventional technique including adhesives, heat sealing, stitching, or tape and in such manner that the fiap piece F extends outwardly of the base piece B at an obtuse angle when the diaper is folded (as shown in FIG. 1) along its axis of symmetry.

3,605,746 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 FIG. 2 illustrates how both the base piece and the flap piece may be cut from the same rectangular piece of disposable diaper material. After the wedge-shaped cut is made edges X and Y of the base piece are joined together in any conventional fashion to form the seam S as shown in FIG. 1. Thereafter the flap piece F may be inserted into the now conical base piece (the point of the cone being point P as shown in FIG. 1), with the medial line of symmetry Z of the flap piece being substantially aligned with seam S of the base piece, with the overlapping area of flap F being triangular in shape.

FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 illustrate alternative shapes for the unassembled base piece of a diaper constructed according to the invention. Each of these figures corresponds to the base piece B of FIG. 2 and it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the joining of edges X and Y in each of these figures will produce a base piece similar to that produced by base piece B of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate how a slit may replace the notch of the foregoing illustrations to produce a similar base piece for a diaper according to the invention. As shown in FIG. 6B, one side of the slit is slipped around behind the other and then fastened thereto to provide the generally conical base piece as required.

A diaper when constructed as described above, and then folded along its axis of symmetry, will appear as shown in FIG. 1. This diaper has part of a waistline portion 10 formed by piece B (usually the back portion) and part of a waistline portion 12 formed by piece F (usually the front portion) with a crotch portion 14 therebetween. The crotch portion 14 comprises substantially the overlapping portions of the base piece B and the flap piece F, being thus of double thickness. It will be noted that in the folded form shown in FIG. 1 seam S and fold Z of piece F are in straight alignment, but both extend at an obtuse angle to the fold extending between point 16 and point P.

In customary diaper construction the line from 16 through point P to 18 is a straight line.

The contouring effect thus achieved provides for a snug fit of the diaper around the infants legs, thereby increasing the retentive capacity of the diaper for deposited waste material.

Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A diaper comprising a base piece and a flap piece, said base piece comprising a sheet having a notch in one edge thereof, the edges of said notch being joined together to form a seam thereby producing a cone-like configuration of said base piece, said flap piece being joined to said base piece in the region of said seam thereof and extending outwardly at an obtuse angle relative to said base piece when said diaper is folded along its axis of symmetry.

2. A diaper as claimed in claim 1, wherein a portion of the flap piece overlaps the base piece.

3. A diaper as claimed in claim 2 wherein the overlapping portion of the flap piece is triangularly shaped.

4. A diaper as claimed in claim 1, wherein said seam and the medial line of said flap piece are substantially in straight alignment.

5. A diaper comprising a base piece and a flap piece, said base piece comprising a sheet having a slit in one edge thereof, the portion of the sheet adjacent one side of said slit being drawn behind, and aflixed to, the portion of the sheet adjacent the other side of said slit, thereby producing a cone-like appearance of said base piece, said flap piece being joined to said base piece in the region of the slit therein and extending outwardly at an obtuse angle relative to said base piece when said diaper is folded along its axis of symmetry.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 255,111 3/1882 Morgan 128-284 1,694,161 12/1928 Budwig et a1. 128-284 2,199,781 5/1940 Cramer 128-284 2,591,079 4/1952 Leaton 128284 FOREIGN PATENTS 526,039 6/1956 Canada 128-284 CHARLES F. ROSENBAUM, Primary Examiner 

